Donate your items to preserve 2014 in Denville’s time capsule

Established as a town on April 14, 1913, Denville, also known as the "Hub of Morris County," has come a long way. Since the time of the first settlers, it has transformed into one of the most popular towns in the county. Housing several parks, trails, lake communities, downtown shopping, an array of culinary establishments, and having an effective government, while keeping up with technology, has certainly given Denville recognition it can call its own.

One of the events marking Denville’s founding was the burying of a time capsule in 1988, which was opened on Sept. 22 of this year. Now for future generations, the township has decided to let history repeat itself.

Since the beginning of the year, a small committee of residents has worked diligently to prepare for another time capsule event. The committee includes: Sheila Mansfield, chair; Dan Napolitano; Kristen Hollstein; Tommy Dean; Kathy Covert; Jenn Faliveno; Linda Ankersmith; and Dave Dawes.

Through Thursday, Jan. 2, 2014 Denville residents are encouraged to drop off their photos of newborns, weddings, proms, homes, and streets, and place them in the box, located in the Denville Town Hall’s administrative office.

The time capsule’s closing event will take place on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2014 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Town Hall, 1 St. Mary’s Place. During the occasion, various items will be on display and cards will be available for writing messages that will also be placed in the time capsule.

The scheduled opening of this time capsule will be in 2063 as part of Denville’s Sesquicentennial celebration. The time capsule will be registered with the International Time Capsule Society at the Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, GA. It is the hope of the committee that this tradition will continue on with the next generation.

"We want to point out that our goal has been to not only capture life in Denville today by the items selected, but we are also connecting with those in 2063 by imagining what life will be like then through the written messages." Mansfield said.

The committee is grateful to Mayor Tom Andes for his support of the project.